6 Types of Community Management (+ Tips from the Experts Who Manage Them)

Jenny Sowyrda, supervisor of neighborhood technique and operations at HubSpot, shared a fantastic analogy with me about neighborhood administration:

“Because the neighborhood supervisor, you’re internet hosting a celebration. At first it’s a must to welcome everybody, take their jackets, and provide them meals or a drink.

However as soon as extra friends begin to arrive, you may make connections amongst friends who’ve issues in frequent, and you may slowly pull again … to only being within the background.”

Find it irresistible.

It’s additionally price noting that the celebration might look a bit completely different based mostly on the forms of neighborhood administration on the market. So, let’s assessment the highest six collectively.

Desk of Contents

The SPACES Mannequin

You possibly can have a look at community management in some ways, however the best one is thru the SPACES model.

No have to take my phrase for it as a result of the consultants agree that this can be a fairly stable basis.

“The SPACES mannequin is a implausible framework to assist manufacturers decide how the neighborhood may also help the enterprise with a selected focus …” says Christina Garnett, founder and fractional CCO at Pocket CCO.

“… Particularly for non-community builders. It helps present readability about what the enterprise desires the neighborhood to offer,” she continues.

The SPACES mannequin, proposed by CMX, organizes neighborhood administration methods based mostly on their major operate and the main target of the neighborhood in query.

Sowyrda provides, “The SPACES mannequin is sensible in the truth that you actually do must deal with one factor at a time. It does a superb job of highlighting the other ways your organization can use a neighborhood.”

The acronym “SPACES” represents six distinct neighborhood administration classes: Support, Product, Acquisition, Contribution, Engagement, and Success.

Now, onto the specifics.

Varieties of Group Administration

Enter: the specifics. Listed below are the six forms of neighborhood administration to think about based mostly on the SPACES mannequin.

Professional tip: As you begin constructing your community management strategy, Sowyrda recommends specializing in one (or two) of the weather under and mastering these earlier than expanding your approach.

1. Support

Assist communities empower members to assist one another out by answering questions or fixing issues. These communities might be organized as a web-based discussion board or dialogue board, the place members can ask and reply questions.

I’d additionally advocate providing different assist assets like information bases and FAQs, so individuals can discover solutions rapidly on their very own.

Advantages:

• Decreased buyer assist prices
• Decrease workload to your customer support groups
• Faster decision of frequent points
• A larger sense of neighborhood amongst members

Greatest for: Manufacturers with in-depth product strains, like software program or electronics, the place customers can profit from sharing suggestions, methods, and troubleshooting recommendation.

Instance: Apple Support Community

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What I like about Apple’s Assist Group: Actually, the simplicity of search is actually interesting right here. You possibly can sort in a key phrase or ask a query and join with Apple clients world wide on associated assist subjects.

2. Product (Ideation, Innovation, and Suggestions)

Product communities can help you create a secure area to your clients to offer suggestions in your services. They will share ideas on how you can enhance your merchandise or concepts for innovation.

This manner, you’re mainly inviting members to take part straight in your product progress and growth course of.

For instance, at HubSpot, Sowyrda explains, “We have now communities of product (discussing HubSpot’s merchandise) and communities of observe that are areas to debate skilled subjects.”

Advantages:

• Improved product-market match
• Steady product enchancment based mostly on person suggestions
• Increased person satisfaction
• Sense of possession and loyalty to your model

Greatest for: Shopper-oriented software-as-a-service (SaaS) firms the place person suggestions is essential for iterative product growth.

Instance: LEGO Ideas

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What I like about LEGO Concepts: They make it tremendous simple (and enjoyable) for LEGO lovers to submit concepts for brand new designs. Plus, individuals can see what successful concepts appear like from their fellow clients.

3. Acquisition and Advocacy

Acquisition and advocacy communities are sometimes networks of ambassadors or advocates who assist construct consciousness round your model.

Members promote your services by way of phrase of mouth, affiliate applications, and social media.

Advantages:

• Elevated model consciousness
• Decrease buyer acquisition prices
• Increased conversion charges

Greatest for: Nearly each sort of firm can profit from acquisition and advocacy communities, however it’s notably efficient for startups and newly-established manufacturers.

Instance: Sephora Squad

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What I like about Sephora Squad: The neighborhood isn’t formally dwell till August 2024, however Sephora is already creating some buzz. If you may get individuals excited earlier than launch, you’re already one step forward of your opponents.

4. Content and Contribution

Content material and contribution communities encourage customers to share content material and concepts or take part in collaborative initiatives.

Contributions can vary from visitor weblog posts and media submissions to involvement in open-source software program initiatives in your web site.

Devoted workforce members sometimes curate the user-generated content to make sure it’s acceptable, meets high quality requirements, and aligns together with your neighborhood pointers.

Advantages:

• Elevated member engagement
• A powerful sense of possession amongst contributors
• Extra invaluable content material for your complete neighborhood

Greatest for: Media firms, inventive industries, and open-source initiatives that thrive from UGC.

Instance: Adobe Lightroom

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What I like about Adobe Lightroom Group: I bought this instance from one among my finest photog mates, and it truly is nice. You possibly can see precisely how the contributor edited their picture in Lightroom — from begin to end.

5. Engagement (Exterior and Inside)

There are two forms of engagement communities: exterior and inner.

Inside engagement communities deliver collectively a model’s inner contributors. These communities function a hub to share inner information and assets with workers, companions, distributors, or suppliers.

These communities can even assist align employees members with the corporate’s targets and values, enhance morale and retention, and improve collaboration.

By comparability, exterior engagement communities join people who’ve a shared curiosity associated to an organization or model. Like if I ran a cookie firm and created a neighborhood for baking fans.

Advantages:

• Exterior engagement alternatives
• A way of belonging and stronger connections together with your model
• Natural will increase in model consciousness through word-of-mouth

Greatest for:

• Inside: Useful for bigger organizations with many departments or groups unfold throughout completely different areas or international locations.
• Exterior: Nice for life-style manufacturers or firms with sturdy model identities based mostly on life-style or values (e.g., health or magnificence).

Examples:

• Inside: HubSpot’s Slack neighborhood, which is a platform for workers to attach, share concepts, and ask questions.
• Exterior: Nike Run Club

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What I like about Nike Run Membership: This can be a sensible play for Nike. They emphasize bodily exercise by way of their merchandise, and this membership permits running-enthusiasts to attach with one another and the Nike model.

6. Success Group Engagement Administration

Success communities are designed to assist clients use your services or products, effectively, efficiently. They permit members to attain desired outcomes by sharing finest practices, person experiences, and success tales.

Advantages:

• Better buyer satisfaction
• Decreased churn charge
• Invaluable testimonials to draw new members

Greatest for: SaaS, business-to-business (B2B), and service-oriented companies the place product success is carefully tied to continued product use.

Instance: Noom Circles

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What I like about Noom Circles: I like how customized you may get with Noom Circles. You’re matched with communities that replicate your pursuits (e.g., meals, train, hobbies, and so forth.) and the targets you’re working towards.

Group Administration Methods

The methods you employ to research your neighborhood efficiency will range based mostly on the kind of neighborhood you’re constructing.

Listed below are some metrics to think about for every:

• Assist: Dialog engagement (e.g., posts, feedback), amount of questions requested and answered, diminished buyer assist calls
• Product: New product concepts, new function adoption, buyer satisfaction
• Acquisition: Conversion charge, new leads/signups, new clients
• Content material: Customers creating UGC, new and lively customers, dialog engagement (e.g., posts, feedback)
• Engagement: Dialog engagement (e.g., posts, feedback), new member signups, occasion attendees
• Success: Web Promoter Rating (NPS), buyer retention, buyer satisfaction

Need extra? Get the complete scoop on community management metrics.

Creating SPACES for Your Communities

Hopefully, this offered some readability in regards to the various kinds of communities and what they’re finest for. In the event you’re nonetheless having hassle selecting one to your model, I say begin together with your viewers.

One of the best communities come to life when your targets align with their wants.